Breakfast With A Toucan

Though I’ve now seen a toucan at a zoo, and find them delightfully unusual, when I was growing up, the only appearance came on a cereal box. So, I made a super fast and loose rendition of one for today. The cereal box toucan was not quite an actual toucan at all, but a cartoon version named Toucan Sam, emblazoned on the side of Froot Loops cereal. Sam had the uncanny ability to actually smell the cereal from great distances and would often quip in the commercials, “Follow your nose! It always knows!” and when feeling super joyous follow it up with “The flavor of fruit! Wherever it grows!” I’m not even sure any actual fruits were harmed in the making of this cereal, which I totally adored as a kid, but I was more disappointed my my apparent lack of superior olfactory skills. The cereal didn’t smell much like anything at all and barely had any discernible odor, save a chalky and only slightly fruity smell that felt more imagined than actually experienced. But, I didn’t really mind that at all and today, I still have a fondness for toucans.

I think my love of all animals was born in my youth with all of those cereal boxes. There were all sorts of wonderful mascots to greet me each morning. It was like taking a trip to an absurdist zoo, where every animal has been painted with a rainbow, each and every day. I also loved Apple Jacks cereal, but this one struggled to define a true mascot. It had everything from cartoon dogs, to weird dolls made of actual apples, to strangely drawn children, to eventually just an overmedicated apple and creepy cinnamon stick in a stocking cap. Some characters were almost human like Snap, Crackle and Pop, but I loved the animals most. So I would opt for Sugar Smacks with the cute little frog and rare truth in advertising as well as Tony the Tiger. Today, you’ll find the former renamed to an apparently more socially acceptable Honey Smacks. But it was the latter that was usually my favorite, simply because it was also my dad’s favorite. Even while trying to find my own place and create my own path, it was still pretty cool to be just like your dad.

And though I fully realize I’ve gone off on a tangent here and am not talking at all about travel, in many ways, I still am. As a kid, travel was either a long road trip in a car with my parents, or simply wherever I let my imagination take me. I never felt like I was “stuck at home” or “in a rut” when I was a kid. It was simply impossible to ever be bored with so many things to explore in my own backyard. Sure, once we’ve achieved adulthood, we’ve already experienced many of those things and seek newer more exotic things to quell our attention. But, I’ve found that when I approach everyday and even mundane things like I did when I was a kid, I can still find something to fascinate me. As we all grew up, our backyards grew smaller, but our imaginations didn’t at all. That is, if we allow our minds to approach the world more naturally. Adults have an irritating habit of trying to understand or judge everything before attempting to simply enjoy it. This is a real buzz kill for me, so I prefer to live in a world where it’s still entirely possible and always thrillingly fun to have breakfast with a toucan.

Creator of Doodlewash® and founder of World Watercolor Month™ (July) and World Watercolor Group™. Sharing daily watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world! If you’d like to be a guest artist on Doodlewash.com, contact me!

In our house, Mom and Dad picked the cereals so it was usually cornflakes or shredded wheat. I suspect cost had much to do with those choices. Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loops were a rare treat. Every few years or so, I buy myself one of six packs of single serving cereals more as trip down memory lane than for the taste. Love your toucan – MUCH better than Toucan Sam!

Thanks so much, Sandra! 😃💕 Yeah, I was lucky to get to chose my own cereal. Well, back then at least. I tried to get one of those six packs and Philippe stopped me after reading the sugar content. Ugh! So I just dream about them now! lol

Love the cereal animal memories. I was a Tony the Tiger girl, although it was a special treat in our house, the usual cereals being Corn Flakes, Shredded Wheat, and Cheerios. I discovered Fruit Loops in the 90s, when I was raising my kids. Lovely Toucan.

I loved Sugar Smacks! And Honey Combs. Turns out, they aren’t as good now as they were when I was a kid. Hubs bought me some a while back after some begging on my part. They lost there allure very quickly. Kind of like Twinkies.😉

Afternoon read of Charlie funny man writer I got my coffee and donut thought of you Charlie for a second when I picked up my coffee and the other Tony the tiger lot if memories great story line once again lovely with my special treat

haha!! I should totally be Toucan Sam for Halloween! If I actually ever attended parties anymore, which I don’t, so it would be a bit creepy just being a toucan at home. 😊But if I did venture out, that would be the first on my list!

You write the way to peace and fulfillment. So many people will never reap the benefit of your wisdom unless you put it in a book. Donate copies to as many libraries as you can afford to. It might save a life, but it will for sure
make the world a better place. For example I was sitting here wrapped in some morose meanderings and now I’m as excited as if Christmas were here…all because of an emu that you created will soon be landing at my door. It goes without saying I’m going to pilfer a copy of the article that was posted with it to display along with that musing emu. (please don’t sue), but even if you do, it is worth it.

You’re so sweet! Thank you, Sarah! 😃💕 hehe… and I would never sue… that’s my hope! Although, yeah, collecting that many images in such a fashion would be cost-prohibitive, so a book would be a much better solution. I have the podcast for now to keep some of those old posts alive, but I do hope to create a book in the future!

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